Onboard! Home!!

I already learned something new; don't book first night dining as way to get additional dining reservation; you need to book any night EXCEPT the first and then add first night as soon as you are onboard. The dining reservation desk has replaced the puzzle; now I need to go find where they moved the puzzle to.

More later..

Marc

PS Wonderful Assistant F&B from Explorer greeted us as soon as we came onboard. Stephane also onboard. We are in for a wonderful dining experience.

Bon voyage, Marc and Arlene! What an adventure you are embarking on! Wishing you the best of times.
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Helen

Are you referring to Kseniia (Asst. F&B)? She was on Voyager when were were onboard last month - indeed she is exceptional. Tell her hello from Cindy & David.

Have a great cruise you guys. What a way to officially start retirement!!

Congratulations on your official retirement cruise. Have a wonderful time!

Mark and Arlene - have a wonderful cruise. What an amazing way to start the next chapter of your life.

We look forward to your updates.

Marc and Arlene, we are so happy for you! Congratulations on your retirement, Marc, and we hope you two enjoy this well-deserved, lonnnnng cruise. Lots of seamail, please :)

Miss you guys and wish you all the best!

A couple more observations:

I was able to be simultaneously logged in on iPhone, laptop, and ship's computer; when I logged off of ship's computer I was still logged in on other two. No pushing to logoff; they finally realized being logged in "usually" does not impact bandwidth unless you have automated backups or updates.

Fantastic dinner in Chartreuse. Stephane is Maitre' d. They had a "special" of filet, crab, and lobster; very well prepared. Wonderful service.

Lots of bar staff from Explorer; everyone has remembered my drink orders.

Palermo a nice four hour tour; not a place I would go out of my way to come back to but a nice walk.

Ship is totally full. All 700 left for excursions between 1000 and 1030 and all arrived back between 200 and 230; La Verandah and Pool deck slammed. Took us a while to even get on board as only one crew member swiping keycards.

Tonight - room service! Cabins redone nicely; plenty of room; easy to set up dinner; we are really looking forward to it.

More later . . .

Marc pretty much already posted what I was going to post. The dinner in Chartreuse last night was exceptional. One of the best I have ever had. I looked at the menu on the TV in the afternoon and the cheese souffle was not listed! I told Marc I wanted to get off the ship then and there if they didn't have the cheese souffle in Chartreuse any more! Alas, when we got the actual menu in the restaurant it was there, so all was good with the world again. (Can you tell I love that shuffle? I have even been known to order it for dessert). The preparation on Voyager is a bit different from the one on the Explorer, but very good too. The filet with crab and lobster was phenomenal. Lobster cooked perfectly. What a way to start the cruise.

The ship is completely full. I talked to one of the staff today and they said there is not a single cabin free. It feels it too. This morning at breakfast in La Veranda, it was a madhouse. I have never seen it so packed, No tables available, they were sending people out to eat on the pool deck. The staff was really working their tales off, keeping everything going and bussing tables as fast as they could. At one point I couldn't even get a plate, but that was soon remedied. A mad house for sure, but a very efficient one. All the tours came back at the same time and only La Veranda and the pool deck were open for lunch. I just got a couple of slices of pizza and took it to the suite. Marc had to sit at the pool bar to eat as there was no other place available. Did I say it was packed? It is a strange feeling to actually be waiting in lines on Regent, I think a first for me, but they are handling it very well. The ship and cabin are in great shape and staff is wonderful. No complaints here, that is for sure!

So excited to be able to follow your adventures. The Voyager sure does sound packed, what cabin are you in ? Tom & I will always have such special memories of our cruises on the Voyager. I'm glad she's lookin' good !! Thanks for taking us along with you.

Been a great few days. Good excursions in Malta and Crete. Fun trivia team yet we haven't broken through for a win; got a tie for third with 13 today. Good meals in Chartreuse, Room Service, P7, and Compass Rose (twice). Great service in all bars including pool bar and pool deck. I have gone back to doing the various token activities. Since the gal running most of the activities gives three reward points just for participating, and I had a fantastic time at croquet; I picked up a total of 20 reward points yesterday. I am going to start doing the daily quiz for a chance for more.

We are headed now for Suez Canal. Canal, Luxor, and Aqaba are main interests for almost all pax on this cruise. A sea day, transit of canal, two days in Luxor, day in Aqaba, and then four sea days. No more sleeping in as we go through canal starting at 330 on Thursday.

I will try to post pix at some point; once I figure out how.

More later....

Marc

Your description of the Chartreuse dinner has my mouth watering. Interested to hear of your reports from Luxor and Aqaba.

I need to take some pictures with the phone as they are easier to post. Yesterday, Halloween was fun. The menu in Compass Rose had things like witches brew sauce, etc. It was really cute. They had grey ghosts in the glass elevators that were fun and of course lots of pumpkin carvings. The block party consisted of the officers coming through with candy in their hats for us. A fun day. We put our names on the Chartreuse waiting list for when ever there was an availability and got calls both yesterday (we had other plans) and today, so another great dinner there, alas, the special with the steak, crab and lobster was only the first day. We are really enjoying relaxing and are enjoying getting to know the cruise director Margaret. We have been eating lunch in Compass Rose as La Veranda and the pool grill is so packed. Compass Rose is nearly empty, so it is quiet, service is quick and so much better than the madhouse upstairs. We are having a great time despite not having any LCTers on board with us. A very different experience to be sure. No card or scrabble games.....we are missing that for sure, but Marc is back into the various games they are playing.

More later, hopefully with pictures....

Made it to the finals in bocce today; beaten by a novice. However, scored a win in trivia with 14 of 16. Somehow I knew who was the first "mortal" woman in Greek Mythology. Getting ready to enter Suez Canal. Don't know whether to go to bed and get up early or watch as we join the convoy in Port Said.

Will provide reports on Luxor and Aqaba. Next four days are heart of this cruise.

More later . . .

Congrats on your trivia win and bocce ball finals Marc. I'm so happy you and Arlene are having such a good time. Retirement suits you well. Looking forward to hearing about Luxor and Aqaba from you and Arlene.

Marc:
Mary and I join you for Dubai to Singapore (Cabin 723); we were on the Explorer TA in April. We are avid Trivia players; maybe you will need new teammates for that leg? Bad news is that Mary plays every game and the Daily Quiz.
have fun,
Jim

Love you checking in all the time Marc it is like we are with you.

Marc and Arlene -- we're loving your posts. Enjoy the Suez Canal. With luck, you'll see some of our U.S. Navy coming through--but even if you don't, I'm sure you'll find it extremely interesting.

Jim, welcome new trivia teammates; we are losing our whole team in Dubai. I am out there playing almost every game; been quite fun. Best haul was 20 reward points in a single day.

Canal was great!!! Up at 330 to see us enter canal. A lot different than on USS America in 1983. Great having GPS to provide location info as there was no commentary.

Food continues to be fantastic; service too.

Three big days on excursions coming up; then four sea days.

More later.. ..

Marc

We are having such a great time. The food has been absolutely fabulous. Pool grill and La V are same as always, but Compass Rose, Chartreuse and Prime 7 have all been fantastic. I had a chicken breast coated with a gorgonzola cheese crust tonight in CR that was so good. Very different from anything I have ever had on board. It is really strange not having LCTers aboard, we miss you all. Very different experience, that is for sure!

Marc and Arlene, this sounds so wonderful! I can't imagine a better way to celebrate retirement. Keep the seamail coming!

Many LCT'ers are with you in spirit, Arlene. Love reading about your great adventure!
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Helen

What Helen said!
Thank you Marc and Arlene for sharing with us. Please post all you can. We love it.

Long day in Luxor yesterday - FANTASTIC! Took "Ancient Luxor" which combined Luxor Temple and Valley of the Kings; we are really pleased with our choice; both were fantastic. We know it just whetted the appetite and we need to take one of Ngaire's Egypt trips to be fully satisfied.

Came back around 8:30 and went to Compass Rose for a great quick meal. It is nice that they can serve a two course meal in 30 minutes when you are hungry and tired.

Decided to forego snorkeling excursion today; glad we did when we got up to a very windy day. Tomorrow Aqaba and Wadi Rum followed by four glorious sea days.

Some more observations about the ship:

Internet decent except in cabin; keeping door ajar does help a bit. Ship refurb left intact Radisson lyre on both glass elevators and CD's door; I wonder how many guests really remember why they are there. La Verandah a bit of a zoo; opening up serving lines did not improve things that much; might have made worse as only one location for ordering eggs. Observation lounge update pretty bad; no more long couches; just tables for four with heavy chairs. They added an extremely large dance floor but no place for a group to meet. Compass Rose absolutely fantastic; much quieter than Explorer; much better design.

Overall, ship is fantastic!

More later . . .

Marc adjusting well to retirement. His two biggest decisions today were to sit by the pool table r on the balcony. Oh, and what kind of beer to order!

Arlene:
All packed as we leave on Friday for Dubai. Have a hiccup though. Jim needs a clearance on a health that arose Thursday; we expect clearance on Wednesday. Fingers (and toes) crossed.
Who are the Captain and the CD?
Mary

Captain is Italian I am sorry I forgot his name. The CD is Margaret and she is really nice. She has a show tonight (sings) and we are having dinner with her tomorrow night. Very nice personable lady. Does a great job at trivia.

Hope everything works out and we see you in Dubai. Fingers crossed here too.

Is the captain Felice Patruno?

Yes, Captain is Felice, I still haven't met him except receiving line of Captain's Welcome party and at Officer's versus guest competitions. Hopefully will see him (and Anatoli) about the ship more now that we have a series of sea days.

Marc

Tell Felice hello from Pat & me. Also tell him you're Ngaire's client - he loves her KLT escorted groups.

A lot in last week. Enjoyed Wadi Rum even though we had been there before; not a good guide so it didn't live up to our previous experience where we had done it privately. Fantastic dinners with Matilda and Ricardo (Cruise Consultant and Destinations). Margaret and Elda, and Felice and Sunshine Sarah. Our trivia team finished with five wins and placed all except three days. Met some wonderful new people including KLTers that hopefully will start posting on LCT.

Last night Suzanne and Mark came onboard for drinks and a wonderful dinner. Due to our late excursion, and procedures at terminal, didn't get onboard until 8pm. Had drinks in Voyager Lounge, dinner in Chartreuse, and more drinks in Horizon Lounge. Alas, they were told that they needed to debark by 11pm; so the night came to an early end.

We entered the boat building contest teaming up with Aussies from our trivia team. I will say that our boat easily could carry the most cargo; however, it did not place in the top three. Pictures to come. Arlene and I are going to try again on this cruise; aiming for a smaller more decorated boat that will hopefully handle the seas and cargo.

Without cards at 10 and 2, I have regressed into playing most all of the games. Did well at croquet, bocce, and putting and not so well at skittles, top toss, and chipping. Ended up with over 150 regent rewards; alas two couples I had been competing against had a lot more rewards to redeem yesterday. I saved most of mine for new merchandise that is supposed to appear in Singapore.

Decided to stay onboard today to watch change over. A lot of crew leaving including Captain; Captain Green is now in charge. Nicola is Social Hostess, new fitness instructor and piano player but Nature's Rhythm is still onboard. Major change over in Singapore where Ray will replace Margaret, Gudrun will replace Matilda, and Katja will replace Ricardo.

More later . . .

Sounds great Marc wish I was there with you at 10 and 2. However great success on the token front. Congratulations on the trivia success!

I love you posting and keeping us up to date on the coming and goings on the ship. When you see Katja give her a hug for us she is such a lovely person. Natures Rhythm, such a fun group. I have never done such a long trip but seeing all the different staff is kind of neat. We all hope our favorites are onboard and with crew changes you get to see people you know but also get to meet new ones.

Keep the posts coming. We are preparing to leave to board the Silver Cloud. Can't wait to get onboard.

Marc -
For you next boat building challenge... I remember at the Coffee Connection they have soy milk in those aseptic boxes. Can you try to have them save some empties for you? That would be similar to the milk cartons Kathy recommended.

We are continuing to have a great time. How can you not? We keep telling ourselves how blessed and fortunate we are. We had planned this trip for so many years it is hard to believe we are finally here! A changeover in lots of crew and passengers yesterday, but today back to normal. Marc has met Jim but I haven't yet. Will meet him today at trivia. Today is Fujairah, but we just stayed onboard, relaxing and enjoying the quiet.

They have completely new members of the "Regent signature orchestra " on board. Margaret told us they came on before the last cruise and didn't even know each other until they came aboard. They had to "gel" quickly and have they! We listened to them the other night and again last night and they are fantastic. We will really enjoy when and wherever they play. Their lead vocalist sounds so much to me like Harry Connick.

We had a great dinner with Captian Felipe before he left in Dubai. What a sweet, personable man. He was happy to receive "hellos" from Jim and Pat, Olivia, Ngaire and all the rest. He does love the LCTers.

Any way we are just having a great time as Marc adjusts to retirement. We are definitely "Levin the life" as Helen says, but miss all of you. Just not the same without seeing all our friends around the ship

I thought I posted a reply already; guess it didn't "take". SO glad you had dinner with Felice, and just knew you would enjoy him!

Oh, and keep those posts coming, you know we love hearing from you two on this wonderful "retirement" cruise!

Greetings from Mumbai!

Arlene and I are in agreement, not our favorite place. I know many love Mumbai and India but not us. We took a highlights tour today that had too many stops for time and traffic allotted; still it was great to see.

We are back to back trivia champions. Jim and Mary joined our team when they boarded in Dubai, Cathy who had subbed last cruise is a full time member, and Donna was a fantastic addition. Yesterday we had 14 and the next highest team was just twelve! Today it looks like it will just be Donna and Arlene and me as rest of team on long excursion.

Compass Rose service and food has been great. We have found we can be in and out in an hour if we want. Chartreuse fantastic. Fourth trip to Prime 7 tonight. Minor issues have arose with spa and reception but they are just exasperating; we walk away and address eventually; nothing too concerning.

For George: If you are on a cruise with Cy Cy as bartender, ask her for "Cy Cy Old Fashioned;" you will enjoy; they are fantastic.

Four more days in India; will be interesting. Then one sea day then Colombo. Staff and crew have been wonderful to us. If this is what retirement is like, I should have retired years ago.

More later . . .

I think Mumbai is one of those places where a private tour is so much more enjoyable. We found Mumbai and India in general to be utterly fascinating even though I got sick there and had to cut my trip short and come home. We are booked to try again in April on Azamara.

Congrats on your trivia rout! Retirement should be just like this!
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Helen

Even with four substitutes, we are now three time champions. I also won at golf chipping yesterday. Today was Jewish synagogue tour; quite interesting and no traffic so back early.

Refurbished cabins have plenty of outlets both 110 and 220 so no need to bring power strip. Ship has policy that nothing is to be left plugged in when cabin is empty; so if you don't unplug your gear the stewardess will. We have five Western European adapters so able to have everything plugged in at same time.

Still amazes me that three days into cruise some people still don't have their cards out when boarding the ship; stood behind a woman after the long tour yesterday that still had her card in her purse so she had to find a place to put down her purse to open it to find her card! I reached my card to the podium and passed her and her husband.

Good mix of passengers; a lot of Brits, Germans, and even Brazilians. A number of people came onboard in Dubai and are staying until Hong Kong so hopefully we can easily reconfigure our trivia team.

More later . . .

Indian ports have been slightly disturbed by activities related to finally selling our house; we didn't go ashore in Goa and will stay onboard for Cochin as well; really nice to have ship (and internet) to ourselves. After my previous post of three time champions at trivia; we crashed and burned without even placing; however last two days we have returned to our winning ways with solo wins with 14 and 15, respectively.

With Mumbai night tours and then three nights where 55 are off to Taj, easy to get into Chartreuse and Prime 7 each night. I have found one trick is to get a 630 sharing table; when you get in that early, both restaurants can switch you to two top as they know they can flip by 8pm; in fact, we have been getting there a few minutes before opening so that they know they can flip.

This cruise changes tremendously after today; one sea day, Colombo, three sea days, three days in Burma, and another sea day are the heart of the cruise.

Today will be spent with emails and phone calls related to house sale; after that, pure relaxation!

More later . . .

Congratulations on selling your house that is fantastic news. Always such a relief once a house gets sold.